FIG. 1 depicts an air-bearing surface (ABS) view of a conventional read transducer 10. The conventional read transducer 10 includes shields 12 and 20, sensor 14 and magnetic bias structures 16. The read sensor 14 is typically a giant magnetoresistive (GMR) sensor or tunneling magnetoresistive (TMR) sensor. The read sensor 14 includes an antiferromagnetic (AFM) layer, a pinned layer, a nonmagnetic spacer layer, and a free layer. Also shown is a capping layer. In addition, seed layer(s) may be used. The free layer has a magnetization sensitive to an external magnetic field. Thus, the free layer functions as a sensor layer for the magnetoresistive sensor 14. The magnetic bias structures 16 may be hard bias structures or soft bias structures. These magnetic bias structures are used to magnetically bias the sensor layer of the sensor 14.
Although the conventional magnetic recording transducer 10 functions, there are drawbacks. In particular, the conventional magnetic recording transducer 10 may not function adequately at higher recording densities. Two-dimensional magnetic recording (TDMR) technology may enable significantly higher recording densities. In TDMR, multiple read sensors are used. These sensors are longitudinally distributed along the cross track direction. The central sensor reads the data from a track of interest, while the outer sensors sense the data in adjacent tracks in order to account for noise.
Although TDMR might be capable of higher recording densities, issues may complicate fabrication of a read transducer or adversely affect its performance. Fabrication of an additional read sensor above the read sensor 14 shown, in place of the shield 20, may be complicated. Further, the shields 12 and 20 and the magnetic bias structures 16 are desired to be biased. The free layers of the read sensors are also magnetically biased in a different direction from the shields and magnetic bias structures. Providing the desired magnetic biasing of the shields and read sensors may be difficult to accomplish. Consequently, a transducer suitable for use in TDMR is desired.